The family of detained activist Sopon Surariddhidhamrong, along with other activists and academics, filed a petition with the Supreme Court yesterday (13 November) in protest at the Criminal Court’s sentencing Sopon to jail for using a sound amplifier without permission.

Activist Sopon Surariddhidhamrong has been sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for a speech during a 22 April 2022 protest in which the court claimed he insulted Queen Suthida.

Activist Sopon Surariddhidhamrong has been indicted on a royal defamation charge for a speech given during a Labour Day protest on 1 May 2022 about access to Covid-19 vaccines, after the public prosecutor ruled that he insulted Princess Sirivannavari, who the public prosecutor sees as the heir to the throne.

<p>In parallel with ongoing dry fasts and no-sleep protests of activists demanding bail rights, the Court has granted bail to 3 detainees whose charges relate to political protests, leaving 3 still detained.</p>

<p>Following the detention of monarchy reform activists Sopon Surariddhidhamrong and Nutthanit Duangmusit, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT),&nbsp;launched an urgent appeal asking the international community to call on the Thai authorities to immediately release detained human right defenders and end all acts of harassment against them.</p>

<p>Two monarchy reform activists have had their bail revoked yesterday (9 January) after the Criminal Court ruled that they had violated their bail conditions by joining an anti-government protest during the APEC summit in November 2022.</p>

<p>After two monarchy reform activists were freed from jail, they found themselves in a different kind of captivity. In exchange for their release, they must be confined to their home at all times, save for exceptional circumstances.&nbsp;Their isolation, enforced by constant surveillance, makes them the only known cases of house arrest in recent Thai history.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An art exhibition about enforced disappearance has been postponed indefinitely as the venue&#39;s owner said they were &#39;uncomfortable&#39; after being contacted by the police.</p>

<p>Monarchy reform activist Sopon Surariddhidhamrong, who has been held in pre-trial detention on a royal defamation charge, was granted bail and released yesterday (31 May).</p>

<p>Monarchy reform activist Tantawan Tuatulanon has been granted bail after spending over a month in pre-trial detention on royal defamation charges, while the Court once again denied bail for activist <a name="_Hlk104499712">Sopon Surariddhidhamrong</a>, also held in pre-trial detention on a royal defamation charge.</p>

<p>Four monarchy reform activists were again denied bail on 20 May, including Tantawan Tuatulanon, who has been on a hunger strike for the past 32&nbsp;days to demand the right to bail, while a protest caravan visited the Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court and the Bangkok Remand Prison to demand the release of 11 detained activists.</p>

<p>In a new surge of detentions, six people are in jail in connection with the royal defamation law &ndash; five of them denied bail to contest the charges outside prison. A human rights lawyer said the move illustrates the authorities&rsquo; obsession with smothering any public criticism of the monarchy.&nbsp;</p>